An Extra Present
by tie-dye-flag
Summary: Once, she was a hero. Now, just a normal, happy teenager. And just like everyone else, she wakes up on Christmas morning with presents to unwrap. But unlike everyone else, she receives an extra present from an old friend, stirring up secret memories and feelings in the process. (Involves OlderHero, Post-TPoH AU possibly)


**As usual, I do not own TPoH nor the characters.**

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><p>Ah, December twenty-fifth. That one day of the year that families wake up with a feeling of holiday cheer bubbling inside them. A day where parents are shoved out of bed by squealing kids and dragged to a brightly decorated evergreen tree with festive presents sitting at its base, waiting to be hastily opened.<p>

And one humble home in Manchester was no exception. Yes, a cheery Christmas morning for the family, including the sixteen year old daughter with peanut butter colored skin. The brunette gratefully accepted the gifts of fluffy sweaters, adventure books, and a few video games. Her face lit up when she discovered bags of chocolate and cookies in her stocking. She kicked off her bunny slippers to eagerly try on her new green Wellies.

Once the floor was bare of unwrapped gifts and the room was littered with shreds of colorful wrapping paper, the family laughed, cooked pancakes, and heartily ate breakfast.

After half an hour of rinsing dishes and stuffing the wrapping paper remains to the corners of the room-they would be salvaged later for making thank you notes-the girl decided to take her Christmas loot to her room in a clumsy armful. She pushed the door to her bedroom open with her hips and marched to her bed. The teen plopped her goodies in the middle of her bedspread, enjoying the cluttered clatter they made when they collapsed into a pile. With a grin she carelessly flopped on the pillow to sit.

_CRUNCH!_

The girl jolted with surprise. Baffled, she stood back up and looked at her pillow. There was nothing on it, but seemed…lumpier than usual. The curious teen snatched her pillow up and discovered the source of the muffled crunch.

A present wrapped in blue and red striped paper with a shiny green bow on top.

Raising an eyebrow, the girl picked up the package. She sat back down at the head of the bed as she examined the present. A little extra something from her parents, perhaps? But why? That wasn't her parents' style, and the wrapping paper didn't resemble theirs at all. But who else would slide this under her pillow after she woke?

Her fingers slipped under the bow to find a piece of paper attached to the green ribbon. Printed in black ink were two simple words.

_To Hero._

The girl froze, staring at the tag for a full minute. Her lips twitched slightly, unable to form any words. With shaky hands she undid the ribbon and let it fall to her feet, landing on top of her boots. She gulped and hesitantly bore her finger through the wrapping, hearing it gasp at the rip.

After the paper was torn off she let her lips part at the sight of a quilted green parka in her hands. Thick brown fake fur lined the hood, fluffy with the softness of newness. The teen stretched the jacket in front of her with wide eyes. It seemed to be her size, and the color beautifully matched her new Wellies.

The corner of something white poked out of the left pocket. She gently plucked it out as if it was a bomb. It was no sort of explosive, thankfully and obviously; it was merely a folded piece of paper. She set down the coat to her side and unfolded the paper in her hands.

It was a full piece of stationary riddled with neat creases and half-hidden crinkles, as if crumbled up in a ball several times and then smoothed out several times more before neatly folded and stuffed into the parka's pocket.

Black writing also decorated the page, and in the format of a letter. Taking a deep breath, the girl scanned her dark eyes over the slightly shaky handwriting.

_"Dear Hero,_

_ I know what you're thinking; you are no longer 'Hero'. You remembered your real name, and are no longer bound to the obligations of playing the role of a hero, but humor me if you will for old time's sake. Now where was I…ah, yes. As you have no doubt noticed, this present is addressed to you. Again, humor me for labeling it with your…old name. I simply did not wish to risk misspelling your real name. Anyway, back to the point…this coat is for you. Consider this extra present a 'thank you and Merry Christmas' from everyone. And me. Yes, I, the biggest humbug since Ebenezer Scrooge, am wishing you a Merry Christmas. Even worse, I am admitting it. But let's keep that between the two of us._

_ I am sure that you still remember our journey when you were younger. However, considering that it has been eight years since then, I take it that you will not recall that one time where you lost your coat. Or rather, as you put it, your little red coat 'left'. We eventually got you a replacement, but for some reason, years later, I still remember it. And by now you have most certainly outgrown that coat as well. So I chose to get you a new coat to replace that one. Don't fret; I did not obtain it by dishonest means. It should last for a good few years, I hope. I also hope that it fits you. If it doesn't, then please don't hesitate to discard it. But if it is to your liking, then you're welcome._

_ Merry Christmas, Hero. And thank you for everything you did. I mean it. Truly._

_ Sincerely, RGB"_

... A warm drop of water fell onto the paper with a dull pat. Then another. And then two more. By now the teen had a runny nose and a quivering frown.

"R…RG…" She whimpered while her fingers squeezed the smoothness out of the letter. Through the fog of her tears, she saw the new green parka. _Her_ new green parka. Sniffling, the girl flung her hands to it and held the coat to her face. The bulky material muffled her cries and soaked up her salty tears.

"…RG-! R-RGB-!" She sniveled. "R-RGB, you…you…you-!" Like the firm lump in her throat, her emotions choked her voice, forcing the rest of her words out in a mournful moan.

"H-How could I forget all that…RGB…?" Hero hiccupped. "Of course I still remember my old coat. I still remember everything… I…I still remember you…" She buried her face deeper into the parka. "A-And…And I still miss you…! I…_I still miss you, dammit!_"

Hero bent over, still hugging the jacket as if her life depended on it. Without it, her cries would echo through the entire home, alerting her parents and possibly neighbors, which would lead to questions of concern that the girl would refuse to answer.

Instead, her parka masked her true feelings and expressions, just like she had been by keeping her memories and thoughts bottled up safely inside for the past eight years. She kept her wistful wishes far, far away from the reality of her home.

"…but I can't see you again, can I…?" She whispered once the tears subsided. "No…it's not like you can just ring the doorbell and waltz on in…And yet you managed to sneak this present in…" After five minutes of silence, a somber smirk grew on her face, and she pushed her arms through the sleeves of the parka.

"You coward," Hero sighed. "…Thank you. And Merry Christmas to you, too."

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><p><strong>AN: At the current time writing this, it is unknown if Hero and RGB, er, remain alive at the end of TPoH, but this idea was too good to pass up. If one or both of them end up...y'know...then consider this AU.<strong>

**And Happy Holidays to all of you taking the time to read my fic! :D**


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